# The Impact of Alcohol on PrEP Adherence in Vulnerable Men

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2023 · $180,101

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY AND ABSTRACT
Alcohol is the most prevalently used substance among gay and bisexual men (GBM). Additionally, alcohol is
inextricably linked to GBM culture and often used as a precursor or enabler of sexual activity. Alcohol-involved
sex often involves engaging in sexual behavior that places persons at higher risk for HIV seroconversion such
as condomless anal sex. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in preventing HIV-seroconversion, but
recommended medication formulations are daily pills with moderately high levels of adherence to be most
effective. Substance-using GBM have been shown to have lower levels of adherence compared to non-using
GBM, but scant research has investigated the impact that alcohol consumption has on PrEP adherence.
Therefore, the proposed study will collect pilot data to investigate the effects of alcohol use and misuse on
PrEP adherence. In this mentored career development award (K01), Dr. Westmoreland will describe patterns
of alcohol use and sexual behavior among PrEP-using GBM, identify the role that alcohol use plays in daily
PrEP adherence using multiple methodologies to collect aggregate (e.g., 30 day) and detailed (e.g. ecological
momentary assessment (EMA)) data, and contextualize PrEP non-adherence related to alcohol consumption.
In Aim 1, Dr. Westmoreland will use baseline qualitative and quantitative data to describe patterns of alcohol
use and sexual behavior. She will also use the narratives from qualitative interviews to add to the growing
literature surrounding barriers to PrEP uptake and engagement in the PrEP care continuum. In Aim 2, Dr.
Westmoreland will use multiple sources of data—i.e. quantitative surveys, timeline follow-back interviews
(TLFB), diary entries collected twice-weekly for 10 weeks (i.e. EMA data), and dried blood spot (DBS)
specimens for alcohol and PrEP adherence monitoring—to quantitatively identify the role that alcohol plays in
daily PrEP adherence. By using multiple data collection techniques, she will also be able to pinpoint and
validate estimates of alcohol use and PrEP adherence. In Aim 3, Dr. Westmoreland will use qualitative data
from follow-up interviews to contextualize PrEP non-adherence related to alcohol consumption. Additionally,
she will use these follow-up interviews to help characterize participants’ perceived changes in risk over the
follow-up time period that could lead to deviations from daily PrEP use. Dr. Westmoreland will build on her prior
training as a STI and HIV epidemiologist to expand her expertise into alcohol research and develop new
analytical skills needed to conduct impactful sexual behavior research. These skills will include collecting and
analyzing qualitative data; working with EMA, TLFB, and DBS data; implementation science, grant-writing, and
scientific communication. Through methods coursework and workshops, alcohol-focused workshops and
seminars, mentorship, and professional meetings, Dr. Westmoreland will gain the skil...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10700155
- **Project number:** 5K01AA029047-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Drew Anne Westmoreland
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $180,101
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-28 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10700155

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10700155, The Impact of Alcohol on PrEP Adherence in Vulnerable Men (5K01AA029047-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10700155. Licensed CC0.

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